Rafael Nadal Fans

Wimbledon 2019: Brilliant shots from Rafael Nadal [Video]

It was another thrilling run to the semifinals for Rafael Nadal, with some exquisite shot-making along the way…

35 comments

  1. During an interview with RTVE , Toni Nadal talks about the conversation he had with Rafa while they watched the Wimby final.

    On his nephew, Toni showed to be confident: “I think he has some time left at the highest level as long as he keeps being excited. It has been years that they say he has a short career and, luckily, they were wrong. He was able to listen and be driven by others. This is the meaning of smartness.

    The level was always very high, even too high sometimes. I watched the final with him and I told him to look at where Djokovic was returning. He was much closer to the baseline than he did in the semifinals.

    He admitted I was right and he was wrong in returning all the time from very behind. I asked him why he did not change his return position as both Francis Roig and I were telling him that during the match. He told me he had not seen it, he did not understand us and if he did he would have definitely done it.”

    I hope Rafa remembers this piece of advice from Toni during future matches. Maybe this will be a turning point.

    RAFAMAZING ROCKS

    Reply

    • I don’t really like it that Toni and Roig had to signal to Rafa on what to do during his match(es). I mean Rafa should be confident enough, experienced enough to know what to do out there, and when things are not working, to change things a bit.

      Why would he need his coaches to tell him what to do during matches (that’s equivalent to illegal coaching which is not allowed during matches). And, Toni talking to the press about that is in a way, admitting to doing that and that to me is not a good thing where Rafa’s reputation as a great champion is concerned.

      Rafa doesn’t need any coaching during matches, he just needs to be confident with his own game, his own abilities to change his tactics or game plan mid match when things are not working.

      His FO final is such a good example; he was engaged in baseline rallies with Thiem and after he lost the second set to Thiem, he started the third set by being more aggressive and moving to the net or stepping inside the court often and so he won the two sets to win the match.

      Rafa is good enough to handle any situation out there; I do feel that had Rafa played some competitive matches as warm ups to Wimbledon, he would be more confident in his game to do the necessary adjustments against Fed.

      I mean even his fans watching him would know he needed to stand closer to the baseline to return serves, a champion like him certainly should know that, don’t even need his coaches to signal to him; it’s just that Rafa wasn’t confident out there with his game esp when Fed came all prepared playing his best level on grass in quite a while, so it seemed to me Rafa wasn’t thinking clearly out there.

      Reply

      • I didn’t like it either and was pretty much taken aback by Toni’s admission. The interview was on TV so it was “out there” and would be picked up by other news outlets.

        I have a hard time understanding Rafa when he doesn’t perform at his best when under pressure. If you recall, some years ago, Toni said Rafa lacked confidence because he wasn’t winning matches, but he wasn’t winning matches because of so many injuries. Now that he’s fit he is still losing matches that I feel he could have won. What is going on with this seeming lack of confidence?

        I would never try to make excuses for a Rafa loss but he did allude to “things outside of tennis” recently in an interview and we know when his head is not clear he is unable to perform at his best. I hope he resolves the things that are hindering him.

        RAFAMAZING ROCKS

  2. A recap of the Big Three by the ATP Tour.

    “Big Three continue to rule the “Big Titles”

    Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal returning to their very best tennis, along with Roger Federer making more history, highlighted the second quarter of the 2019 season on the ATP Tour.

    Djokovic capped off another relentless fortnight by winning his fifth Wimbledon title on Sunday, beating Roger Federer 13-12(3) in the first fifth-set tie-break in Wimbledon singles history.

    Nadal made the semi-finals at SW19 (l. to Federer), but the Spaniard, per usual, ruled the main European clay-court swing despite a slow start on the surface.

    Nadal didn’t win his first title of the season until 19 May, the longest it’s taken him since 2004, when he won his maiden tour-level title. But the Spaniard made up for the missed opportunities, beating Djokovic for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia title in Rome for his record-setting 34th ATP Masters 1000 title and then running away with his 12th Roland Garros title against Dominic Thiem.

    Djokovic also had a less-than-Novak like finish to the first quarter of the season, failing to reach the quarter-finals at either March Masters event. But the Serbian recovered well, winning the Mutua Madrid Open title (d. Tsitsipas) for his 33rd Masters 1000 title. Djokovic then reached the Rome final and Roland Garros semi-finals before hoisting his 16th Grand Slam title at the All England Club.

    The World No. 1 dominated the tie-breaks in the Wimbledon final against Federer, 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3).
    “It was probably the most demanding, mentally most demanding, match I was ever part of. I had the most physically demanding match against Nadal in the [2012] final of Australia that went almost six hours. But mentally this was a different level, because of everything,” Djokovic said.

    Federer won his 10th NOVENTI OPEN title in Halle, the first time the Swiss has entered double-digit titles at a tournament. At SW19, the 37-year-old made his 31st Grand Slam final (20-11) and had two match points to become the oldest Grand Slam champion in the Open Era. Instead, Federer fell to Djokovic for the 26th time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series (22-26). “I just feel like it’s such an incredible opportunity missed, I can’t believe it,” Federer said.

    On clay, Federer returned for the first time since 2016, making the quarter-finals in Rome and Madrid and the semi-finals at Roland Garros.”

    Here’s hoping Rafa is well rested, upon his return, after the clay and grass seasons to play VERY well in the hard court tournaments. VERY=WINNING

    RAFA ROCKS 2019

    Reply

  3. Rafa I will for ever be your fan..you totally work your socks off for every game you play.Vamos Rafa.

    Reply

  4. ESPN Mexico has announced that Roger will play an exhibition match on November 23, at Plaza de Toros Mexico. No other details were given. If true, I wonder what the occasion is and who else will participate. Interesting.

    Reply

    • Why write here about r? This is Rafa ‘ s site – write else where. Your comments are not trustworthy…..no matter who the f you write about…..especially when you write about other players…..
      Seems u r the one writing under many names asking q. and then writing yourself replies….giving phoney feed back etc….all I can express is your energy is heavy and uninspiring and your comments filled w air head mentality…..Rafa deserves better

      As Rafa continues to thrive we love reading about him.

      Reply

      • Where are your parents because they should be monitoring your internet access?

  5. I love watching you my Rafa…God given talent 😇!!!
    More power on US Open 💪 and wish you better health 🙏..! BUENA SUERTE💋

    #foreverrafaelnadalfan

    Reply

  6. I love watching you my Rafa…God given talent 😇!!!
    More power on US Open 💪 and wish you better health 🙏..!

    #foreverrafaelnadalfan

    Reply

  7. Hopefully nadal will return back healthy on hard court. After federer loss you can say that federer legacy is seriously in jeopardy. I believe that rafa and djoko will compete fully with eachother and try to surpass federer.

    Right now i am giving the momentum to djokovic he has only lost one match in the last five grandslam that he participated in against thiem in Paris.

    Rafa has a great chance of winning new york. but therefore he needs to find out on how to beat nole on hardcourt something he hasnt done since 2013 he even has not win a set from nole since the us open final 2013. There is a lot of work to be done for rafa.

    Nadal needs to play nole the way he did in 2013. attacking tennis close from the baseline serving well, returning well and use the forehand down the line. Stop playing the whole time to his backhand because that is a lose strategy

    If rafa stays healty and wins the us open that rafa will be at 19 and he has the french open next year to equalise federer.

    When it comes to wimbeldon I think its hard for me to see him winning wimbeldon with the way he likes to play.
    too defense instead of attacking

    Reply

    • The thing about USO, the humidity there can kill. I remember last year, even Fed felt the heat and humidity there that he fell in R4; Fed rarely lost so early at the USO, only in 2013 that he lost at the same stage but that was one of his worse years since 2003.

      I hope Rafa is well prepared for that; Rafa didn’t do badly at the USO, in fact it’s his second best slam after the FO.

      If there’s any consolation, it’s that I feel Djoko wasn’t playing all that well during the FO and Wimbledon (was helped by some easy draws I feel), he’s also not that young and physically he may also feel the strain.

      I know he has the uncanny ability to raise his level in finals, but, in the early rounds, he might get caught by some young guns, who knows. I feel a FAA or a Tsitsipas may be the road blocks for him. Imagine having to get through FAA, followed by Cilic and then either Medvedev or Tsitsipas in the QF!

      The difference between Djoko and Fedal imo, is that Fedal usually play well from the early rounds; Djoko OTOH, may be more vulnerable in the early rounds.

      TBH, I do feel Djoko had the luck of the draw, from USO last year right up to Wimbledon this year, so his early round matches weren’t that difficult for him. He may have a tough draw at the USO this time, it’s time that Rafa gets a better draw!

      Reply

      • Djokovic is #1,so he always will have the easiest draw.If he passes the first rounds…what are always unpredictable..I don’t see anybody able to beat him.
        The issue is not Djokovic. The issue is in Rafa. He must get out of his comfort zone to be able to beat Djokovic and Federer on hard. It’s upto him,not upto them…
        Unfortunately he and his team are so conservative, so I doubt that will happen.
        I love Rafa and will be incredibly happy if he win USO and AO one more time at least, but…with him playing 1 mile behind the service line…do not see it happening
        Hopefully he proves me wrong
        VAMOS Rafa

      • Nope, no.1 don’t always have the easiest draw; you’re wrong if you think that!

        Djoko often had the toughest draw among the big three during 2011-2015; it’s because Djoko was that good that the draw didn’t matter then. His record was beating 31 TOP ten players during a season, back in 2015.

        Djoko now has obviously past his peak and has struggled more than in the past; he could no longer win the IW/Miami B2B Masters for example.

        As mentioned, his draw in the last few slams were not as tough as what he faced during his peak years; he may not be so fortunate going forward.

  8. This is why we watch. Even in practice, the intensity is there, and the seats are filled. As Rafael stated, “We are not done.” So, we are there. Clearly, without the participation of these elite players, a tournament becomes a non-event regardless of the hype. No other group has had the consistency
    and mental strength. Thank you for your passion and respect for the sport.🙏 Talk is cheap. Results speak for themselves.🎾❤️

    Reply

  9. My family think I’m crazy the way i support Rafa. I will stay up all night to watch him play live rather than tape it or watch a rerun. I am terrified of him not playing in any tournament. Praying constantly that he will win the U.S. open. I so desperately want him to surpass Federer.

    Reply

    • I hear you Merlyn, I get it……. When he’s in Asia and he’s playing a match and it’s 3:00 or 4:00 am in New York… I’m the nut job who’s up in the middle of the night watching it live…. I don’t record it for a future time either… and my friends say you what????? LOL

      Reply

  11. On analysing his loss to Roger, Rafa said: “l have not played good enough to win. I can not be proud or satisfied. There will be time to analyse…..I will not need three weeks to recover from the loss. When you play matches of this level you have to be prepared to win or lose. Not even winning is great nor losing so dramatic….I reached the semi final and will recover more sooner than later. I will go home to disconnect after three consecutive weeks of competition.”

    As always, Rafa is honest, philosphical, determined to put the disappointment behind him and move forward. That’s the spirit champ! Good luck in the US.

    Reply

  12. Thank you for the video🙏
    Can’t wait to see Rafa on court again, stay injury free, all the best❤️

    Reply

    • Yes we are!!!!

      And I will be seeing him everyday, for hopefully 2 weeks…. (season ticket holder )

      I will report in!! lol

      Reply

      • Thank you Margo and Mimi…

        I call it my “Bahamas” … From the day it starts to the day its over, I love every second of it especially if Rafa is doing well… I go to every practice of Rafa’s (always on P1), even if it means missing a great match… My kids think I’m crazy… And then during the tournament I have the pleasure of rooting him on from his first match onward…. It’s either elation or heartache….like last year when he had to retire in the semi’s…Oooo…that was rough…. but then again we had the thrill of victory when I watched him raise the trophy in 2017…

        The last day Mens finals… obviously I’m always hoping he’s in it …but….whoever is in it, it’s usually a great match…..and then it’s over…

        So… I’ll let you guys know how he’s looking… Well we all know he’s looking grrrrrrreat…. 🙂 LOL

        I’ll let you know he’s doing!

      • Marileena, my daughter and my husband say I am crazy all the time when it is about Rafa…… Enjoy yourself!🤗

        Hey, I was there in person supporting Rafa in 2017 too, so proud and thrilled he won his third US Open title👏😁

  17. Are you playing the US OPEN Rafa in NY.vamossssssssssss champ 💪🎾😘❤️🇺🇸

    Reply

    • Hi Ana…. I believe as long as he can walk…. Rafa will never miss a Grand Slam… ever….

      Reply

Leave a Reply